Let me preface this by saying I am not a tower-defense fan.

Outhold is a tower-defense game, stripped down to its absolute basics. No lore, no fancy mechanics, no distracting minigames - just the core gameplay loop of survive a wave -> upgrade -> next wave. And it has been presented so well that playing is just fun. It is living proof that gameplay makes a game enjoyable, not graphics.

The balance is nicely scaled so that you are never too weak or powerful for a level. The upgrades are varied and unlock new playstyles to experiment, which interplay with one another. Some challenges do force you to figure out the "meta".

Completing the full game is not a momentous task, it took me just shy of 12 hours for 100%. It can be done easily in bite-sized sessions or in one sitting. After finishing, I wish there was a bit more content - I was having so much fun I wanted to continue playing more. But at this price, really can't complain. Recommended for veterans of the genre and newbies alike!